L.B. Simmons did a fantastic job with Into the Light. This is such an emotional read. But it is so beautiful. My heart broke more then once throughout this one. It got put back together again just to have it break all over. Bring on the tissues and the array of emotions. I laughed, I cried. I wanted to take Aubrey and Quinn in my arms and hold them tight. Aubrey is one of those characters I loved watching grow and change. She fought when she was ready to and it was beautiful to finally see the light in her darkness. Quinn is the best friend Aubrey (Raven) didn't know was missing and needed. And then there is Kaeleb. Kaeleb the childhood friend/first love of Aubrey. Even at a young age when they were separated that love didn't seem to disappear. I love Kaelebs strength. I love how his love brought out the new Aubrey. I loved how he fought for her when the darkeness too over again. Into the Light is such an amazingly beautiful emotional read. If you haven't read L.B. Simmons yet you really need to. Be prepared to grab and box of tissues and hold on for an amazing read. I loved this one so much even after becoming a teary mess.

L.B. Simmons dug deep into her talent to bring a beautiful story. The Resurrection of Aubrey Miller is a coming of age story of emotional survival.
What I loved about this story is that it wasn't about one person or how a boy helps a girl or how a girl helps a boy. It was a story of building friendships that could trustfully carry the weight of young life and pressures.
The characters in this story were so sincere. I loved that there was tough love and that this story didn't use sex to solve the problem. What was also really refreshing to see is that LB Simmons didn't force the characters on us. What I mean is that they were so naturally developed, that I could picture them without her having to objectify them to give me a clear picture. Although Kaeleb was an exceptional book boy. *sigh*
When I first began reading this book, I thought it was going to be too reminiscent of another book (which was amazing) but this was so not the case. I suppose the female m/c's guilt was the same premise but the story itself was different.
The story and the characters were beautiful. The secondary characters and their stories were the perfect balance and support to Aubrey's journey.
Aubrey's character had so much to endure and to learn, that I thought Simmons did a great job of not trivializing them because she had to fit the story into so many number of pages. The topics are so complex that honestly you could write forever. The story did not feel rushed or glossed over.
To sum up what I felt when reading The Resurrection of Aubrey Miller... sincerity, endearment, love, heartache, guilt, happiness, anger, loss, joy, freedom and purpose.
LB Simmons took us on a wonderful journey of strength and self discovery.

Absolutely loved it! Posting to GR! Great YA novel :)

Life can be as full of loss as it is life. For Aubrey Miller - the loss in her life has cast a shadow over everything else. Losing her parents at an early age shattered the light heartedness that existed in Aubrey’s life. Walking away from the world that she knew was another blow to her already shattered heart. Thus the persona of Raven was born. Aubrey Miller was no more.

Heading off to college is never easy. For Raven - she walks into a world with a roommate that is the complete opposite of her very being. Always holding others at arms length was easy with the makeup and clothing that Raven donned. Now that Quinn has come barreling into Raven’s life, nothing is the same. Quinn is the epitome of everything PINK. From the dorm room to her attire, Quinn exudes happiness. The contrast to Raven’s goth clothing, blue and black hair, and cat eye contacts are as different as night and day.

Determined to bring Raven out of her sulkiness, Quinn invites her school ‘buddy’ to their dorm. The shock at Kaeleb walking through the door threw Raven for a loop. Raven doesn’t realize that her long lost childhood friend remembers her as Aubrey right away. Kaeleb is determined to bring out the remnants of the girl he cared for so long ago. As the two spend more time together, Raven realizes that her feelings for Kaeleb have intensified over the years. Creating a fragile fissure in the façade that makes up Raven’s exterior.

Pain has been the center of Raven/Aubrey’s life for so long. Now Raven is finding that she slowly is starting to open up to both Quinn and Kaeleb. Both offering a support system that Raven has never known. As the walls to Raven’s heart begin to tumble, little glimpses of the ‘old’ Aubrey begin to shine through. Just when Aubrey begins to find herself once again, death presents itself once more. A cruel part of life that leaves Aubrey shattered in the wake.

Into the Light is a re-release of The Resurrection of Aubrey Miller. It certainly is a book that should not be overlooked!! A tale of second chances, hardships in life, and finding your place in the world. An emotional journey of Aubrey’s life that unfolds page by page. While this story IS a romance, it is also a journey of self discovery. One that is littered with events that will tug at your soul.

While I must confess I have had The Resurrection of Aubrey Miller on my device, I haven’t taken the time to read the novel. When Into the Light presented itself, I decided to make the time to discover what lies beneath the covers of this highly rated book. This was my first time reading a story from L.B. Simmons, but it will definitely not be the last. Trust me…..take the time to dive into Aubrey’s journey. It’s one you don’t want to miss!!

http://readdayandnight.blogspot.com/2017/04/into-light-by-lbsimmons.html

Into the Light
L.B. Simmons

This was a crazy emotional story. This made you feel sooooo much while reading it. I couldn't help but feel so sad during the majority of this book. Anyone that reads this and doesn't have feelings towards the characters and the situations in this book has to be heartless.

When Aubrey Miller begins her education at Titan University, she is no longer the beautiful, blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl of her youth. In fact, she's no longer even Aubrey Miller.

Overcome with guilt and unable to cope with the loss of her beloved family, she has long since buried eight-year old Aubrey along with them and transformed herself into Raven Miller. Now with jet-black hair, multiple sets of eccentric contact lenses, and several facial piercings, she's veiled herself in complete darkness as a form of protection for herself, as well as others.

As she enters her first year of college, her goal is simple: Earn a degree with the least amount of social interaction as possible. What she never anticipates is the formation of very unlikely relationships with two people who will change her life in ways she never believed possible: Quinn Matthews, the overtly cheerful pageant queen, and Kaeleb McMadden, a childhood friend who never really let her go.

Over the years, as their connections intertwine and strengthen, a seemingly indestructible bond is formed between the three. And eventually, the ties of friendship and discovery of first love begin to coax her from her darkened path as they slowly bring Aubrey back to life.

But when faced with the possibility of yet another death, one from which she may never recover, Aubrey finds herself lost again, burying herself deeper than ever before beneath the familiar abyss of her fears.

Spanning the course of four years, this is the story of a young woman's plight to finally reemerge, finding strength within unbreakable bonds as she delivers herself from her own manufactured darkness and safely back . . .

I can't believe I waited so long to read this one. I'm glad I had the opportunity to receive an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I'm looking forward to reading the other 2 books in this series. After giving myself sometime to process all the different feelings this book made me have.

WOW READ THIS BOOK ASAP.
I laughed and i seriously shed some tears with this book.My friends who know me know this never happens.I do not want to spoil the story the blurb on here gives you enough insight but - this is a story of love,loss,strength and learning to be yourself despite all the crazy things life throws at us.It is also about realising how you should hold onto the good people in your life for however long you have them.

review on gooreads under the name kimothy

“The simplicity of living astounds me. But it’s the terror of death that devours me.”

I’m speechless and in awe! The incredible journey L. B. Simmons just took me on has left me breathless. There are no word to convey how incredibly touching, moving, and inspiring this story is. I was sucked in from the 1st paragraph and never stopped reading until I finished every last word.

“Every being in the world makes an impact on at least one person they encounter during their lifetime. You can change the course of someone’s life by just a kind word, a hateful one, or even by simply choosing not to say anything at all. Every choice you make has the potential to create a ripple effect, trickling into and affecting the lives of others.”

This is a beautiful, heartfelt story about finding yourself. There are so many incredible lessons throughout this story. I was laughing, I was crying, my heart was torn to pieces, and I loved… I loved the characters, I loved the bonds and connections, the lessons learned, and the beauty of the story in it’s entirety.

“Beautiful people tend to be ugly, ugly people tend to be beautiful, storms tend to brew below a person’s cool, calm exterior, and tremendously happy people tend to be overcompensating for their own grief. Nothing is ever really what it seems.”

You are not only taken on Bree’s journey, but also the journey of Kaeleb & Quinn. The bond between these 3 best friends is truly magical and the strength they possess to help each other through everything is just beautiful. The characters are so real you feel every emotion being conveyed.

“Sometimes in life there are those random moments when everything just clicks. When all the fragments of your fractured past fall together, merging in your mind to form a lucid image of your future.”

The connection you feel with the characters is just astounding! Seriously, you are bonded with each and every one of them, from Linda (the guardian) to Mr. Palmer (the teacher/counselor), to Bree, Kaeleb, and Quinn. The writing is so incredible that you love every single one of them and feel every single emotion there is be felt. There are so many special moments.

The writing is flawless and beautifully poetic. You are taken on a lot of ups and downs throughout this story. These characters go through so much and I just can’t even begin to tell you how truly special this story really is.

The message of facing your fears and living each day to its fullest stands strong. This book is a must read and I can’t recommend it enough. You will not be disappointed. It will be staying with me for a long time. Truly beautiful!

“Shine bright. Shine always.”

I really enjoyed this book it's a very emotional read it made me laugh,cry and scream at my kindle you won't be able to put down a must read would recommend.

Maybe this is meant for a younger reader. I don't know, I just didn't love it. It felt,juvenile. Both the writing and the characters. Good story, I just didn't connect at all.

Without heartache, there is no understanding of the true meaning of love. Without anger, passion cannot be comprehended. Without fear, there is nothing gained when overcome. And without sorrow, happiness can never be realized

Wow! Just WOW! You know I have had this book sitting on my kindle for over a year, but it was named The Resurrection of Aubrey Miller. So when I saw this Into the Light on Netgalley and read the blurb, I thought OMG this sounds so good. I immediately requested, not knowing I already owned the book. But I am glad I did, because my TBR lists are huge and with it being an ARC it moves right to the top. I fell in love with this author and her writing. It is breathtaking, beautiful and invokes so many more emotions.

Aubrey/Raven has been living in hell since she was eight years old. In her mind she is the “reaper” and everyone that gets to close to her touches death. Losing her parents and little sister started off the inward spiral of turning into herself. Raven is the alter ego she uses to shut people out, that gives her the license to not get close to anyone and fade into the background. She looks and is nothing like Aubrey, she wears a masks of sorts. No more blond hair, its black, She hides her beautiful blue eyes behind weird contacts, has piercings over all her face. Her ARMOR! But deep inside is a lonely little girl who still wants love and a connection with people, but she’s scared.

When Raven starts college, she is introduced to her roommate Quinn. Quinn is the beautiful pageant queen, just what Raven doesn’t want. But there is something about Quinn that might just bring out the old Aubrey. She’s infectious in her smiles, and her laughter. Enter Kaleb...the boy who could possibly turn Raven’s world upside down. A blast from the past that she tries to keep so buried deep, but may just start to surface. This story documents all four years of their lives in college. I really liked that the author did that and didn’t lose the focus of what these years matter in their lives.

Kaleb especially Aubrey's’ light to her dark. He showed her that she was worth it, that he loved her and would never stop loving her. They had a special bond and Kaleb was the one who was helping her ease out of that shell and armor she put up, I loved that part of the story. It was sweet, and came at just the right time in her life.

There are so many points that this book get across and has little stories woven into it. Quinn is a story and I adored this girl. She makes a remark at the beginning of the book that I knew was going to lead into more stuff with her. Beautiful people tend to be ugly, ugly people tend to be beautiful, storms tend to brew below a person’s cool, calm exterior, and tremendously happy people tend to be overcompensating for their own grief. Nothing is ever really what it seems.
Two faces, one you see and one you don’t...so much truth to that. Quinn was exactly what Aubrey needed, but I felt that Aubrey was also what Quinn needed.

I found myself crying throughout this book because I could feel Aubrey’s pain and her reluctance to let people in. She felt she had no worth and everything around her she destroyed. But with the love and support of true friends and family, she might just make it. Aubrey showed so much strength that even though you don’t necessarily think she is. She got up everyday, went to school, ate, had conversations...but with everything she’s been through she could have truly faded away. She kept her head above water treading until Quinn and Kaleb entered her life. They brought some life back in to Aubrey. They made her life live in color, not black and white.

This isn’t really a romance novel, yes it has some moments. I found it too be about a journey of self-discovery. Of finding that you matter too people, THAT your life matters. That even though you don’t feel like you deserve happiness, they’re are people who are brought into your life to show you, you do. Its about UNCONDITIONAL love, REAL friendship and the push and pull of those relationships that can help you survive. Everyone has strength inside them, but sometimes it gets buried and you need someone/something to push you, to urge you to fight. This book was EPIC! It spoke to me and made me feel so many things. LB Simmons is an author that will be moving to the top of my read lists. I got swept away and didn’t want to put this down. I highly recommend this and the cover...I love the cover! I feel like I just keep rambling, but I have so much I want to say and express about this book!! Beautiful, Inspirational and Captivating!
5 Plus Stars and a Top 2017 Read for me!

I'd see Into the Light about on peoples reading lists before. I even saw it on Kindle Unlimited but never picked it up - no idea why. But then it popped up on NetGalley and I thought it was time to read this story.

This story is so heart felt. So beautiful. So gut wrenching. Raven/Aubrey is an amazing character. Unique in her ways, her defences, her life. Although so sad and at times hard to read her journey (And her friends too, Quinn was an amazing character), it was compelling too. I had to keep going. I think I've probably wrote at least a handful of times about books I've read being about 'a woman's self discovery'. But after reading this, I feel its almost cliche to use that sentence. Aubrey doesn't just grow in this book, she learns to accept and more importantly live.

I loved all the characters. Quinn was a huge favourite and you can't forget about Kaeleb, but there's some great supporting characters too and lets not forget about Walter!

To say that I enjoyed this book is a lie, it was beautiful, pure and simple. I had tears, a lump in my throat, I cheered internally and then was angry the next. So many emotions, but guess what? IF an author can make me feel something with their words, that's the sign of not a good book, but a great book.

I'm looking forward to reading the other books in the Chosen Paths series, those are also available at present on Kindle Unlimited. In To The Light is a stand alone, so no cliffhangers, worry not my fellow book worms. I adored this story, 4 stars.